Quilt Show Opening Event
The Museum will host Jean Wakely, public speaker, storyteller, author, and curator of the Story Quilt Project. Her presentation brings quilt stories to life—inviting audiences to laugh, reflect, and reconnect with personal and historical memories. Programs are family-friendly, interactive, collaborative, and engaging.
The morning will start at 10 am with speaker Jean Wakely. Light breakfast refreshments will be served courtesy of Cow Creek Bakery.
If you have a quilt—or a story stitched into fabric—that you’re willing to share, we would be honored to include it in this community showcase celebrating creativity, heritage, and women’s history.
RSVP suggested for treat planning https://events.humanitix.com/quilt-who-grand-opening-roseau
About the speaker:
About Jean Wakely
Jean Wakely was born and raised in Cut Bank, Montana. The oldest of seven children, she spent seven years in 4-H and later attended the Minnesota School of Business and the University of Minnesota. Her early career included work as an administrative assistant in several law firms before she married and eventually settled in Northfield, Minnesota.
Jean raised three children and is the proud grandmother of five. She retired from Carleton College, where she served as Administrative Assistant to the college’s interior designer. In 2011, Jean inherited her mother’s quilts, an experience that led to the creation of the Story Quilt Project. These quilts have since been professionally appraised and insured and have traveled widely for public programs and exhibits.
Jean has written booklets documenting seven of the story quilts, with additional works in progress. Today, she travels as a professional speaker, sharing the quilts’ many subjects through engaging storytelling programs that connect generations—from young children to grandparents—both in person and via Zoom.
Jean’s Mother, Jewell Wolk (1924–2011)
Jewell Wolk was born, raised, married, and lived her entire life in her beloved hometown of Cut Bank, Montana. After raising seven children, she found time to focus on her own passions and became a lifelong gatherer of women and women’s stories.
Jewell wore many hats throughout her life. She was a Sunday School teacher, entrepreneur, 4-H leader, seamstress, quilter, landlord, and respected community leader. Her home was often filled with women in the afternoons, sharing stories over coffee—the traditional, informal way of caring for one another long before the term “mental health” was widely used.
Her quilts are registered at the Helena History Center as part of Montana Quilts by Montana Quilters. Jewell was published in First Prize Quilts by Simon & Schuster (1984) and featured in national quilting magazines. She shared her quilts across Montana, Colorado, Nevada, and California, appearing in person as well as on television and radio.
This activity is made possible by the wonderful voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. 